Honestly more of an 8/10, but there's a one-star attack on this movie

As of this writing, more than 40% of the ratings are one-star. I do not
know what the explanation is (although we could easily have some
guesses) but I do not believe this is fair. This is why I'm writing my
first IMDb review ever.

I do believe it is important for people to see this movie, and some of
the scenes and the information had me gaping. It is definitely not
boring. Maybe the only problem is that it is a bit too Gore-centric.
From my point of view this was fine, as he is a compelling and moving
speaker. However, I know that there are people who would not take a
single word from him as truth, and so the message will never get
through... But then again nobody knows how to get the message through
with those people.

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11 out of 17 people found the following review useful:

Very moving and inspiring.

'AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER': Four and a Half Stars (Out of
Five)

A sequel to the critically acclaimed 2006 environmental doc. 'AN
INCONVENIENT TRUTH'. This follow-up covers the progress made to fight
climate change (since the original film), including former U.S. Vice
President Al Gore's (the star of the first movie) efforts to convince
government leaders to invest in renewable energy. It was directed (this
time around) by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk (who also codirected the 2006
internet bullying documentary 'AUDRIE & DAISY'). The reviews for the
film have been mostly positive, although not as good as the acclaim for
the original movie; including some somewhat harshly negative criticism
of Gore's exaggerated self-importance, and impact on the cause (some
believe). I found the film to be ultimately inspiring, and often
moving, although not as educational as other recent environmental
documentaries.

The film (of course) picks up about ten years after the original movie,
which I can't remember if I actually ever saw. Going into this film, I
wasn't aware of just how much it would follow Gore's every move
(throughout it's entire running length). The film follows his very
passionate fight to inspire government leaders, from around the world,
to commit to renewable energy (and sign the 2016 Paris Agreement). Only
to have all of his hard work, and determined efforts, undone by our new
President, Donald Trump (who is very effectively portrayed as the main
antagonist of this film).

When the original movie came out, in 2006, I wasn't very interested in
climate change, or much informed about it at all. So I don't think I
ever saw it. Perhaps I should have watched it before seeing this sequel
though, but I've seen several other (much more recent) movies about
climate change, that have been quite educational. So I didn't think it
was necessary to go back and watch the first film. I found Gore, in
this sequel, to be surprisingly charismatic, and a very likable
protagonist for the movie. I don't know how much his self-importance is
exaggerated, towards the movement, but he's a very effective leading
man for this film. With that said, the movie is not nearly as
informative as other, more recent, climate change documentaries. It is
very moving and inspiring though, in my opinion. So I'd say it's
definitely still worth seeing.

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice...

Martin Luther King's famous quote is seriously challenged by this
second iteration of the climate change documentary, and it both
questions whether or not the statement is true when it comes to the
safety and health of our planet, and also motivates us to keep working
for the future.

Directors Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen weave a complex narrative that both
terrifies and enlightens. They focus on the extraordinary character: Al
Gore, and by looking at his past as well as his present, bring the work
of climate change into a historic perspective that can truly be
compared to the civil rights movement.

Growing up as he did in the segregated South, Gore was born into a
world in which the equality of the races seemed impossible, and yet,
change has come. This may be the very reason, the film argues, that in
the face of profound setbacks and the evidence of climate change all
around - from the melting ice in the North Pole to the flooding in the
streets of Miami - Gore can keep going. Even with the disaster at the
Paris climate conference - overshadowed by terrorist attacks - and the
shocking election of climate change-denier, Trump at the end of the
film, we have to keep going.

See this film to have your desire-to-keep-fighting-batteries
re-charged.

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58 out of 114 people found the following review useful:

Is Climate Change is real? Yes. Is this a good documentary? Hell no.

2006 brought Al Gore's brilliant and scary documentary, An Inconvenient
Truth blasting into cinemas and soon after, classrooms. With its raw
exposure to a dangerous and (until then) quiet killer, Gore's position
in the world went from being the biggest contested loser in American
politics (until Hillary Clinton in 2016) to being a warrior for the
earth. It was an amazing documentary and ranks in my top ten of all
time. However, when I saw this sequel...things changed. My thoughts on
climate change are cemented, it is real and anyone who argues that it's
not is ill informed or just can't face facts. But one thing that is as
much of a fact as climate change is how terrible a documentary and
sequel this film is.

Rehashing points made in 2006 and coupling it with some pretty far
fetched predictions for the future make this film more frustrating than
informative. What Gore did in 2006 was he made an accessible
documentary about a crisis and used it to try to create a better and
more informed world. Here, Gore seems infatuated with himself and some
of the film ends up feeling more about him than climate change. Ten
years since his first attempt, one could feel that he could have come
to the table with something more substantial than the same graphs spun
differently and the same dialog written with a bit more finesse.

Overall, I feel the message is still here. Climate change is a big
problem that the world faces every day and it is up to us to stop it.
But it is up to Al Gore to make sure that when he wants to do a
documentary, that his info can sustain a feature length film. Instead
of a little bit of new information and showing how much damage we've
done in 10 years, the documentary should have been much better. I
wanted more interviews with people affected by the changes, I wanted
more interviews with politicians on both sides. To be honest, there's
more I wanted out of this film than was delivered. That, to me,
represents a disappointing film. Which is so hard for me to take
considering An Inconvenient Truth is one of the best documentaries I've
ever seen. It is up there with Super Size Me, The Thin Blue Line, and
My Brother's Keeper for me. To see this and feel as cheated as I do, it
is any wonder why I don't give this a 1 on my sheer disappointment
alone. But, I have to give the film credit for at least being
entertaining and informative, even if much of the information is
already 10 years old.

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108 out of 214 people found the following review useful:

We saw the movie after Al Gore gave an interview

My wife and I attended an event last night at the Greek Theater in Los
Angeles, featuring a screening of the new film and an appearance by Al
Gore, who gave in an interview and update of what's been happening
since the release of An Inconvenient Truth in 2006. What I describe
below are features and conclusions expressed in the film and by Al Gore
during his interview.

The essential truth is that climate change and the warming of the
Planet Earth is not a political issue. It is not hypothetical. It is
not a projection for the future. It is here. It is reality. It has been
made a political issue in America by the fossil fuel industry and
well-healed and powerful people who are being made richer by denying
that reality. It's that simple.

The political ploys that they have used are nearly identical to those
that were employed by the tobacco industry in the suppression and
obfuscation of smoking related health data in the 1980's. The results
have also been similar. They have spent over two billion dollars on
their campaign to sway public opinion on the issue. Their efforts have
have been somewhat successful. A significant segment of the population
has been successfully misled, which has produced a widespread apathy to
to the urgency of the situation and to the issue itself.

Science is a major proponent of truth in our civilization. It is not
inherently wise, but it can tell us when something is broken, and
often, how to fix it. Climate science has already shown us how to fix
the climate problem physically. It has fallen short of helping enough
people in power to develop the will to do something about it.

In order to fix that, it has taken a serious advocate, in the person of
Al Gore, to champion the endeavor to educate and otherwise shift the
awareness of people toward the truth.

The most prominent example of this is Gore's negotiations with the
Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi during around the time of the global
climate conference in 2015. Modi was reluctant to lend his support for
a climate accord because he felt that the Indian economy was not strong
enough to shift resources toward the development of new alternative
energy technologies and industries. The need for the developing
nation's increase in energy production was immediate, with no room for
mistakes. Modi and Parliament were on the verge of authorizing the
building of 400 new coal based generation plants. Gore realized that
that would be a climate catastrophe. He also realized that it was not
their fault for their thinking that way. India was in a really tough
spot.

So, Gore contacted Solar City's CEO Lyndon Rive about negotiating an
agreement with India for the transfer of solar photo-voltaic technology
to India that would benefit both India and Solar City. After intense
negotiations, the deal was done, and Modi agreed to join the Paris
climate accord. Now that's deal making.

Gore admitted, both to the audience and in the film, that he was often
on the verge of despair regarding the trend of American politics on the
matter. Still, he persevered. The history of setbacks is long.

One of the first was the cancellation of the NASA DSCOVR project. It
was one of the first casualties of George W Bush's new administration.
The project was intended to launch a satellite into a solar orbit that
is synchronized with the orbit with the earth in order to observe the
earth from a constant "full earth" perspective. It could make make
measurements of the earth 24/7 which could then be analyzed to yield
useful climate data. For example, it would be a constant monitor over
time of the ratio of incident and reflected energy on the earth. That
would yield an accurate measurement of how much energy is being
absorbed by greenhouse gasses and the rise of global temperatures.

Many setbacks have occurred in America with the election of climate
denying politicians to government office, and most recently, the
appointment of many of them to federal executive cabinet and other high
ranking positions.

On the other hand, there seems to be a global trend for the adoption of
renewable energy sources. Even in the US, in Texas, no less, one town
proudly touts its 100% reliance on these resources. Some states have
nearly reached 100% fossil fuel independence. Across the world, the
adoption and use of renewable energy is accelerating dramatically. In
Chile, in the last year or so, the production of renewable energy has
grown by several thousand percent. China has committed to the movement.

When asked whether a tipping point has been reached in the industrial
and political adoption of renewable energy, Gore did not state
unequivocally that it has, but he indicated that he thinks it's
inevitable. He remains hopeful.

There were many examples shown in the movie of devastating events that
have occurred worldwide since the last movie that are directly and
unequivocally attributable to temperature and climate. Amid all the
massive devastation, one event really stood out as a surprising and
disturbing data point.

In 2015 a massive deluge was recorded in Tucson. It seemed to be an
aerial view of clouds dumping water (billions of gallons?) on Tucson as
if a giant barrel in the sky tipped over. You could actually make out
the splash of the water on the ground. Not drops. Barrels.

I don't recall any mention of tipping points with regard to climate
change itself. That is, the point at which the planet will not recover
sufficiently to stop the warming progression. This was a prominent
topic earlier on in the discussion.

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2 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

An illuminating, impassioned follow up from Gore

A decade on from his award winning, socially impacting environmental
documentary An Inconvenient Truth was released, former presidential
candidate Al Gore has chosen to make a follow up film, further
highlighting the plight of worldwide climate change and greenhouse gas
emissions. He shows how the irresponsibility of certain, advanced
nations is having a detrimental impact on the lives of those in
smaller, more disadvantaged nations, and even closer to home, and
re-ignites his worldwide call for change and accountability, as
President Donald Trump removes America from the Paris Climate
Agreement.

Ten years is a perfect time for evaluation, if you are trying to
achieve something. When a period of time has advanced to double digits,
it's time to look back and observe what progress has been made, and
what significant changes for the better have occurred that something
you were so passionate about and devoted yourself to promoting have
resulted in. It would seem, from Truth to Power's existence, that Al
Gore was not sufficiently impressed with what had changed in the ten
years since the predecessor to this film was released, and so he has
once again made a documentary about his worldwide efforts for change.

This time around, it's a far less personal account, with Gore having
already divulged his family background and motivations for being so
powered up about the environment in the last film, and so we delve
headfirst in with him this time around, as he travels to Paris to show
support from the USA for the climate cause, and gets caught up in the
tragic terror attacks toward the end of the year, as well as to one of
the one of the world's biggest polluters, India, to try and get them to
find alternatives to coal burning. His sincerity towards the cause is
never in doubt, obviously not something he just does to grab votes by
exploiting a popular cause, and at times the passion cracks through his
voice, as he propels his crusade.

In a time when international terror (not unwisely) seems to be at the
top of everyone's concerns, the dour voiced Gore has powered up that
slovenly drawl of his once again to make sure we don't forget about a
crisis that has every bit as much catastrophic potential. ****

An Inconvenient Sequel Truth to Power

Documentary that deals with complex environmental issues and is the
sequel to the Oscar winning original. 'Truth to Power' stresses the
importance and severity of the crisis.

There are disturbing environmental images, and we realise that the
impact of climate change is real and that something must urgently be
done to save our planet.

The messages are powerful and unsettling. Al Gore is, and has been a
strong advocate and spokesperson for highlighting climate change, we
see him travelling the world providing training seminars for many
thousands of climate change evangelists. Al Gore was also key to
getting The Climate Change Treaty passed in Paris where 200+ nations
agreed to fight the effects of global warming.

The film shows the progress already made towards alternative energy
sources and what more can be made. Everyone can help make a difference.

How could this be anything less than a 10 !

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7 out of 14 people found the following review useful:

Excellent

It is so easy to ignore climate change if you passively receive 'news'
from the mainstream media. I never saw 'An Inconvenient Truth' so this
was an introduction to Al Gore and his beliefs. As such it was so
powerful that I decided to buy the DVD when available even while I was
watching this film - I need to remind myself that climate change is
happening. The arguments are presented here in an easily-digested form
and with striking footage of the effects of global warming. The ten
years that have elapsed since the first documentary have only enhanced
the credibility of Al Gore and his arguments and he is able to
demonstrate that on occasions. The film makes it clear that addressing
climate change cuts across political parties, religions and nations.
Please see the film.

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10 out of 21 people found the following review useful:

Must See for Everyone: Climate Change is a World Crisis

In 2005, I evacuated from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where the eye of
one of the biggest Hurricanes on record hit the United States:
Hurricane Katrina. It was inconvenient! Natural disasters are not a new
phenomenon, but this movie and the first "Inconvenient", based on
facts, show how and why these disasters are increasing both in
frequency and intensity. There are a lot of problems that we face as a
nation and world, but if we don't do anything different and continue
this path all the other problems won't matter. When the Hurricane came,
there was only one thing on our mind, how to survive. Most of the homes
on the beach and inland several hundreds of feet were completely wiped
out with only the cement foundation remaining. I saw the original movie
in 2006 and was inspired by his ability to use his celebrity status to
bring this issue front and center of our consciousness. Some critics
are saying Al Gore is a hypocrite because he has a big house that
requires a lot of energy to maintain. This is an example of stating a
claim that doesn't include all the information. See:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/gorehome.asp for a clearer view
of reality. Such is true of those who deny that climate change is real.
Some see cold winters as evidence that global warming is a hoax. This
view is ignoring the all the facts. The sequel focused on Al Gore's
training for climate change which I consider a most honorable and
effective way to spread the information. There were a few moments where
it shows that VP Gore brings up his losing the Presidency, which
doesn't really add to the issue of the climate change crisis other than
that was the cross-roads for him to jump with both feet into his
efforts to educate the world. His efforts are twofold; In addition to
admitting there is a real problem we need to commit to doing something
about it. I was impressed with his interview with the mayor of
Georgetown, Texas, a deep red state. They have reached100 percent
renewable energy and the mayor, although admitted he was a republican,
indicated that everyone could benefit from putting "less toxins" in the
air. This underlines the point that you don't have to believe in
climate change to want clean air. Climate change is not a new issue and
Al Gore doesn't take credit for its discovery. He is, however, devoted
to educating the world on the importance of this vital issue and what
we as a civilization can do. I went to this movie, partly to support
this project, and partly learn more. I wasn't expecting to be
entertained in the sense of a "feel good" movie, however this movie
does show progress, despite our POTUS ignoring this issue and pulINGl
out of the Paris Climate agreement. Despite our lack of leadership in
the White House (2017 this will hopefully change), the rest of the
country and world are still on board and this movie shows the progress
being made. See: http://www.go100percent.org/cms/index.php?id=17 for a
glimpse of cities all over the country and world committed to renewable
energy.

If you don't want to spend the money or time to watch this move, there
is a free 10 min clip (that he plugs at the end) that you can watch
(and share): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxi-OlkmxZ4 I was inspired
by the facts, presentation and current efforts that are happening all
over the world. Thank you Al Gore!

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14 out of 29 people found the following review useful:

Gore speaks with passion and increasing anger

While the scientific consensus is in favor of mankind's role in causing
or at least strongly contributing to global warming, some scientists
point to increased solar activity or the natural cyclic effect of
climate change as the cause. Others claim that computer models have
left out "the complex interaction between warm southerly winds,
variations in cloud cover, and sunlight reflection from open water."
According to 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all
over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, however, there
is a more than ninety-five percent probability that human activities
over the past fifty years have warmed our planet to the point that we
must take steps to curtail the emission of greenhouse gases before we
reach a point of no return.

In An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Al Gore returns to center
stage updating and expanding on Davis Guggenheim's ("He Named me
Malala") award winning Oscar-winning 2006 documentary An Inconvenient
Truth, a film in which Gore raised public awareness about climate
change. The sequel, directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk ("Audrie and
Daisy"), replaces the multi-media presentation and lecture-hall
atmosphere of the earlier film with a broader, more cinematic effort.
Focusing more on the personality and accomplishments of Al Gore, a
former Vice-President and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, the
camera follows Gore around the world where he confronts rapidly melting
glaciers in Greenland, wades into flooded streets in Miami, Florida,
and visits areas of recent climate disasters such as Hurricane Sandy,
the Fort McMurray Canada, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

We learn that the predictions that Gore made eleven years ago have
happened at a faster rate than thought possible at the time - bigger
and more destructive storms, the drying of once fertile lands, and the
flooding of the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan. Gore is shown training
supporters to take up the cause and act as his surrogates in climate
change and advocacy. Although the film is more disjointed than the 2006
film, one of its cohesive points takes place in December, 2015 when
world leaders meet in Paris to hammer out an agreement aimed at
restricting the rise of global temperatures to less than two degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Here Gore spreads the message
among world leaders and attempts to broker an agreement with India by
persuading the CEO of the American company SolarCity to grant India the
right to patent a type of solar technology.

Although an agreement was eventually reached, the accord failed to
mandate the rapid severe cuts to global emissions that were needed and
fell short in many eyes. The agreement, however, did create a feeling
of hope but that has taken a hit with the election of Donald Trump who
announced in March that the United States will withdraw from the Paris
agreement, saying the deal is bad for America. While there is little in
the sequel that is new, Gore speaks with passion and increasing anger
as he talks about how the environmental choices we have made have
contributed to the current climate crisis.

While the film hopefully will inspire a new generation to understand
and act on the climate crisis, what it does not say is that to reduce
carbon pollution, we may also need to curtail consumption, reduce air
and auto travel, and limit the production and consumption of meat. Even
beyond that, however, the film does not discuss that the problem may
not only be one of technology but a crisis of the human spirit, one
that requires a transformation in lifestyles and values, perhaps a
reorganization of society. As author Richard Heinberg ("Peak
Everything") notes, "In order to save ourselves, we do not need to
evolve new organs; we just need to change our culture. And
language-based culture can change very swiftly, as the industrial
revolution has shown," Although it stops short of proclaiming those
goals, the film is a timely reminder of the life and death choices we
face. In his book, "How Soon is Now," author Daniel Pinchbeck attempts
to wake us from our stupor.

"We have," he says, "unleashed planetary catastrophe though our actions
as a species. We have induced an initiatory crisis for humanity as a
whole. I think that on a subconscious level we have willed this into
being. We are forcing ourselves to evolve  to change or die  by
creating this universal threat to our existence. We will either
squander our chance and fail as a species, or we will seize it, making
a voluntary, self-willed mutation in how we think and act. This is the
choice that faces us now." An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power may
help us make the right choice.